


sunset high and our bodies low

by dekimasen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ...sort of, Aged-Up Character(s), Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Broken english, Canon Compliant, Captain Yamaguchi Tadashi, Chaos, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hinata Shouyou is a Good Friend, Hinata and Kageyama are Certified Idiots, Idiots in Love, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei Centric, Mentioned Iwaizumi Hajime, Mentioned Miya Atsumu, Mentioned Oikawa Tooru, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Multi, Nationals, Nishinoya Yuu is Feral, Practice Matches, Sleepovers, Slow Burn, Study Group, Sugawara Koushi is Feral, Sugawara Koushi is a Little Shit, Team Mom Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Vice-Captain Kageyama Tobio, Yamaguchi Tadashi is a Good Friend, Yamaguchi Tadashi is a Little Shit, later on anyway, like more broken than midoriya izukus bones, mentioned sakusa kiyoomi, original characters are just the next first and second years dont let them put you off too much, sorta - Freeform, that should be a tag, this goes through all three years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:42:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dekimasen/pseuds/dekimasen
Summary: Emotionally stunted idiots realize they're in love with the help of their equally idiotic friends. Naturally, nothing goes as planned.Told in a variety of POVs with an abundance of side/mentioned ships, a group of chaotic volleyball gays are determined to get Tsukishima Kei and Kageyama Tobio together before they graduate; A worthy challenge indeed
Relationships: Azumane Asahi & Sawamura Daichi & Sugawara Koushi, Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 113





	sunset high and our bodies low

**Author's Note:**

> the furthering of my tsukkikage agenda, as per usual  
> this fic was a while in the making and one of my longest projects, so i hope you enjoy! im very proud of how it came out <3  
> you can find me on social media at @butteredravioli / @moonycantedit so feel free to yell at me or request something, i may just write it!  
> this is my first time writing any of these characters seriously, which is the case for most of my fics because practice is for cowards and i refuse to do it, so please understand that if some people are a little bit ooc, i am not perfect  
> thank you so much and enjoy!!

In the event that his subtlety comes into question, Kei finds that a simple "shut up" is usually enough to get people off his back.

And Kei would like to think he hides it well enough, but he keeps catching himself staring.

It's innocent enough sometimes; His eyes trailing up the side of the setter's exposed torso when they're changing to prepare for practice, glancing over for only a second as he sets the ball with impossible, _irritating_ perfection, even meeting his gaze head on when he scores a point by blocking the other team or spiking one of his tosses.

He can't help but feel a swell of pride when he looks over to see Kageyama watching him.

He can't help it, and he _loathes_ it.

He loathes _Kageyama_ in particular, Kei manages to convince himself as he tapes up his fingers. He flexes them, making sure they can still move and bend before passing the roll over to Sugawara.

"You okay Tsukki?" Yamaguchi speaks up from his left.

He's startled out of his thoughts by the sudden calling of his name, trading his glasses for the sports glasses Akiteru gifted him.

Kei sighs loudly through his nose. "I'm fine."

His friend smiles this soft sort of smile, and Kei instantly knows that he doesn't believe him. "You're not even the slightest bit worried about the game against Nekoma?"

He furrows his brows. "Should I be?" It was only a practice match, after all.

Yamaguchi shakes his head. "I guess not. I might not even get put in and I'm still nervous."

He knows it's true, but the fact that Yamaguchi has so little faith in himself irks him. "You'll get put in for a serve. You've practiced them more than anyone else here."

His annoyance and clipped tone don't go unnoticed. "Sorry, Tsukki." Yamaguchi says, rubbing the back of his neck with a watery smile.

Kei huffs. "Shut up," he replies in an instant, folding the arms of his glasses and placing them back in their case. It closes with a soft _click_ of finality.

The shrimp blurts some odd noises and sound effects at Nekoma's setter, the latter of which looks very confused but is making a clear effort to pay attention.

"Speak Japanese." Kei interrupts, pushing the back of Hinata's head with his fist as his fellow middle blocker shouts indignantly.

-

Hinata sends a ball flying into the back of Kageyama's head, and Kei covers his mouth with his hands in a futile attempt to stifle his laughter. He hears the tell-tale sound of hands slapping over someone's mouth: Yamaguchi stifling his own snickering across the gym.

Kageyama's eye twitches, and another involuntary laugh explodes out of Kei, earning him a sharp glare from the genius setter.

"What's the matter, King?" He teases, because he can't resist the chance to get a rise out of him. "The shrimp didn't hit you too hard, did he?"

Hinata yells something in retort to the insult, and Kageyama turns on him, a disturbing smile on his face.

The ginger looks on, horrified, as Kageyama says "Don't mind" in a hollow voice that promises murder should he ever do it again. Kei chokes on his own spit.

He turns back to the net, eyes still fixed on Kageyama to his right. He tries to ignore how his eyes follow a bead of sweat as it races down from his forehead to his chin, then drips to the floor.

Kageyama's dark eyes dart over to him, and Kei quickly averts his gaze.

He swears he hears the setter huff out a small laugh as the whistle blows.

-

"I could be at home right now." Kei mutters, adjusting his earmuffs on his head to block the cold air beginning to seep in.

"I didn't say you had to come," Yamaguchi protests playfully.

He frowns. "You know what you did, traitor." His friend merely laughs in response and walks on ahead.

Yamaguchi wanted to visit the shrine with the rest of the team, claiming he was going to pray for good luck. Kei had never been too religious himself, and was planning to decline, but he just looked so _disappointed_ , and he wanted him to get that damn look off his face.

"No, I take that back. I absolutely _should_ be at home. It's cold." He says, desperately trying to remain as monotone as possible to mask his discomfort, and the fact that he's uncomfortable enough to _whine_.

Yamaguchi laughs again, but he at least has the sense to look vaguely apologetic. "I told you to bring a scarf."

"And I told you I don't own one." Kei retorts, looking down his nose at the shorter male.

He's always amused by other people's impressions of Yamaguchi, considering how long he's known him. Most people call him "polite" or "kind" at first, which he is, but Kei has learned that he can also be just as much of a snarky, teasing piece of shit as himself.

Case in point: "We can cuddle if you're that cold, Tsukki." Yamaguchi says in a mocking tone as he brushes his shoulder against Kei's.

"Drop dead." Kei deadpans, and Yamaguchi laughs out loud.

"Oh, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi!" Sugawara calls out, waving them over. Their senior stands a good few yards away still, huddled in a small group with a majority of the Karasuno team.

"How many years in a row am I gonna get bad luck?" Asahi complains once they're in earshot. Sugawara nails him with a cheerful hit between his shoulder blades, making the taller man choke briefly. Kei observes them through half-lidded eyes, still tired despite the biting cold and the stinging in his cheeks.

He breathes out—an action he would immediately regret, because instead of a calm breath what leaves his mouth is a poorly suppressed shiver with a visible cloud of air.

Hinata seems amused, despite the fact that his own teeth are chattering. "Cold?"

"Careful, I might turn you into an ice statue. Not that you were going to grow any taller anyway." Kei smirks; That practiced _I-Know-I'm-Better-Than-You_ smirk that pisses off Hinata and Kageyama without fail each time he uses it.

Hinata, predictably, is instantly on his feet with his fists raised in front of him and a number of half-hearted insults tumbling from his mouth, though Kei is well aware he wouldn't actually do anything to hurt him.

Kageyama steps forward, and Kei mentally prepares another snipe to get his blood boiling, but then he's pulling his scarf off.

Curious now, he raises a brow and only flinches back slightly when the setter wraps his own scarf around Kei's neck. "You’ll catch a cold. We have another practice match in a couple days.”

Kei, though briefly stunned, quickly regains his composure. “Not a surprise that you only care about my health when it directly affects you, your majesty.” He quips, earning a piercing glare for his efforts.

“Can people do _anything_ nice for you without you being an asshole?” Kageyama asks bluntly, sneering and pushing his gloved hands deeper into his pockets.

Taken aback for a second, Kei quickly switches the subject of conversation off of him. “You’ll get cold instead, now.” He points out.

“Not as cold as you,” says Kageyama.

He stares at him, squinting and trying to find any signs of mockery in his expression, but coming up with nothing.

Nishinoya and Tanaka make for an effective distraction by quite literally _growling_ at an innocent man approaching Shimizu.

Sugawara shudders, and Kei doesn’t think it’s from the cold. “Those two are feral. One second, I’ll go get them.” He jogs off, apologizing profusely to the stranger when he reaches them. The two second years are still circling around Shimizu, the latter looking highly unimpressed with their antics as she hits them both upside the head.

_Feral_ , as Sugawara had described them. Kei is inclined to agree.

-

Kei groans as Hinata tries on his glasses, immediately gasping and looking around in wonder at what was no doubt a much blurrier world.

“I never said you could put them on,” Kei starts, but he knows he’s not getting them back until Hinata’s done with them. He settles for glaring at the bright orange, fuzzy blob across from him.

“Whoa, Tsukishima, you’re totally blind! How do you ever see?” Hinata exclaims, moving the glasses back and forth, away from and closer to his face.

“With my eyes.” Comes Kei’s deadpan reply as he fixes Hinata with an unimpressed look. “Now give me my glasses back so I can see _clearly_.”

Hinata, obviously, does not listen. Instead, he passes them on to Kageyama, who was looking at him with interest. Kei groans internally.

Slowly, the setter lifts the glasses to his face only to instantly pull them away, blinking owlishly. Hinata snorts loudly as Yamaguchi tries desperately to muffle an onslaught of giggles.

After a second of staring at the glasses in a scrutinizing fashion, he rests them on the bridge of his nose and looks around. He squints in distaste.

“I can’t see a thing.” Kageyama frowns.

_No shit,_ Kei thinks with an exaggerated eye-roll, but what actually leaves his mouth is a tired “Me neither, your majesty.”

He decidedly ignores the feeling in his gut when he sees Kageyama wearing his glasses, accepting them as they’re finally returned to his possession. He puts them back on and is instantly greeted by Hinata, bouncing on the balls of his feet with one hand splayed out entirely and the other with only his pointer finger up. 

“Oh, can you see now? How many fingers am I holding up?” He asks enthusiastically, waving his hands around.

Kei huffs. “Six.” He adjusts his glasses so they sit more naturally on his nose. “In full honesty,” he says, not being honest in the slightest, “I wasn’t aware you could count that high.”

He lets a shit-eating grin make its way onto his face as Hinata sputters. He hears who he thinks is Yamaguchi laughing behind him, but upon turning around he discovers that’s not who it is at all.

Yamaguchi _is_ laughing, though the sound is muffled by his hand. In fact, it’s Kageyama who is laughing boisterously at the joke that Kei himself didn’t even find terribly funny. He stares at him for longer than what is likely dignified, not sure if it’s from shock or wonder.

He catches Yamaguchi’s eye and the other boy gives him a knowing look. Kei instantly turns back around, the tips of his ears feeling like they've burst into flames.

Daichi saves him from further embarrassment by shouting at Tanaka to stop harassing the other teams, and it's business as usual with Karasuno.

-

“You’re too emotionally stunted, that’s the problem.” Yamaguchi comments, making another obnoxiously loud _crunch_ sound as he pops another potato chip in his mouth.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, and you’re getting crumbs on my desk.” Kei replies, not even bothering to disguise his annoyance.

"Sorry Tsukki," Yamaguchi says on autopilot, and Kei glowers at him more intensely. "No you're not."

Yamaguchi flashes him a grin. "No I'm not. But isn't that what you invited me over for?"

"Why would I—" He breathes in. "No. I invited you because I knew you'd inevitably blow up my phone asking if we could have a study group with the shrimp and his Royal Highness, so I'm getting it over with earlier in the day." He diverts his attention back to his homework, a third of it already filled out. He writes in the Kanji of his family and given names at the top, since he'd apparently neglected to do so while scolding Yamaguchi for making a mess.

Speaking of which, his childhood friend throws the now empty chip bag at the trash can, missing by at least two feet. He appears to have not noticed and keeps talking. "Does that mean it's okay for me to invite Shouyou and Kageyama?"

Kei's about to refuse, then something about that sentence peaks his interest. "Since when do you call Hinata by his given name?"

"Oh." Yamaguchi flushes slightly. "Well, we're friends, so he suggested we use first names since family names seem too formal."

He furrows his brows. "We're friends and we don't use first names."

"Well, yeah, but it's different. I know you're my best friend, Tsukki, so it doesn't really matter to me what we call each other."

He says it so earnestly that Kei can feel the tips of his ears burning. _Damn it,_ he always did flush so easily. "Shut up Yamaguchi."

"I'll take that as a yes, then." Yamaguchi says cheerfully, sending off a text that he'd apparently typed out beforehand. Kei groans and throws a pillow at him.

Around fifteen minutes later, his mother calls up the stairs. "Kei, your friends are here!"

He glares pointedly at Yamaguchi, that _traitor_ , then heads out of his room to drag Hinata and Kageyama upstairs, where he will then attempt to tutor them and get absolutely nowhere, because both of them are _idiots_.

He hears Yamaguchi stifle a laugh behind him and flips him off without hesitation.

-

Kei can tell Yamaguchi is struggling with every bit of composure he has to not burst out laughing. Tears pool in the corners of his eyes from the effort. Kei wants nothing more than to hit him with a chair right about now.

"What did you just call me?" He asks Hinata, his tone scarily reminiscent of an angry Daichi. He sends a silent message with his eyes: _This is a test. Answer wrong, and I_ will _kill you_.

Hinata is unfortunately unphased. "I _said_ since we're all friends it's kinda weird to keep calling each other by our family names. So we should use first names, _Kei_."

"You aren't my friend." He replies hastily. "Yamaguchi is the only person in this room I can stand, and he's on thin ice right now." He moves his cold stare over to Yamaguchi, who presses his hands harder down on his mouth to make himself stop laughing.

Hinata pouts—actually _pouts_ —at him. "Don't be so mean, Stingyshima, it's just a suggestion."

"You're not allowed to call me by my first name either." Kageyama interjects, scrawling down a completely wrong answer on his english homework, despite the fact that Kei had helped him with that question two minutes prior.

Hinata squawks. “What? I even said you can call me Shouyou!”

“I’m not going to do that either.” Kageyama hisses, looking over his homework again.

Kei hums. “Having trouble, king?” He asks smugly, relishing in the obvious irritated twitch to Kageyama’s brow.

Exhibiting a surprising amount of control, the setter doesn’t retort. His voice is calm when he points out the third (of twenty, this is going to take _forever_ ) question. “What’s _li-ter-ah-ter_?” He asks, clearly struggling on the pronunciation. His english is heavily accented and wobbly.

“ _Literature_ ,” Kei corrects in lightly accented english. “It’s just written work, like novels.”

“How come even total jerks get to be smart?” Hinata laments, doodling in the margins of his notebook. Kei, slightly miffed, whacks his thigh lightly with a ruler. “If you wanted someone to hold your hand, you should’ve asked Yachi to tutor you.”

He tunes out Hinata’s offended protests, balancing his notebook on his knee and stealing a glance at Kageyama. The dark haired male chews on his pencil top eraser (disgusting), eyes scanning the words on the page as he tries to make sense of them.

Briefly, Kei wonders if Kageyama would let _him_ refer to him by his first name.

He shoves that thought down rather quickly.

“You even let the Great King use your first name.” Hinata points out, scribbling out nonsensical sound effects under “ _Onomatopoeia_ ”.

“I don’t _let_ him,” Kageyama sneers. “He’s just an ass.”

“You’re so vulgar!”

Yamaguchi moves over to sit between them, acting as a physical barrier to keep them from fighting. “Be careful, you’ll make a mess of Tsukki’s room.”

The shrimp’s eyes brighten instantly. “Tadashi, you’re a _genius_! I hadn’t even thought about nicknames!” Yamaguchi does best impression of a tomato while Hinata turns to face Kei again. “Can I call you—”

“No.” Kei says without missing a beat.

The shrimp pouts. “You didn’t even hear what I was gonna—”  
  
“ _No_.” He puts more emphasis this time. “Now shut up and do your homework.”

Hinata huffs. “‘Kay, _stingy_.”

There are a few minutes of blissful silence, minus Yamaguchi tapping his pencil rhythmically against his paper, before Hinata pipes up again. “I bet you’d let Kageyama use your first name or a nickname.”

Kei very nearly chokes on air, catching himself at the last second. “Excuse me?”

He shrugs. “I mean, you’re nicer to him than you are to me.”

Kei mentally curses how observant Hinata can be. “Hinata, you idiot, _shut up_.” Kageyama cuts in, a downright murderous glare aimed at the middle blocker as his grip on his pencil tightens. At the same time, Kei says “I’m not nice to either of you” while Yamaguchi snorts behind his hand.

“I assume it’s his majesty's job to decide what to call me.” He says smugly, instantly disappointed at the lack of an angry glare in response to the “ _his majesty_ ” comment. Instead, Kageyama looks thoughtful.

“Kei is easier to say quickly, like during a game.” he admits, and Kei nearly dies right then and there. “Saying _Tsukishima_ takes more breath.”

Yamaguchi grins, and Kei can tell that he’s making fun of him. “Look, Tsukki, you’re making friends!”

He doesn’t trust himself to say a full coherent sentence, so he settles for “Shut up” and leaves it at that.

-

Kageyama has been calling him by his first name every chance he gets, and Kei is 100% sure he's doing it on purpose.

"Tsukki, nice serve!" Yamaguchi calls from behind him as Kei holds the ball out in front of him, breathing out.

He tosses it into the air, drawing his hand back to hit it, when—

"Nice serve, Kei." Kageyama speaks up, looking over his shoulder at him.

His hand collides with the ball and it flies into the net, dropping at Hinata's feet.

Momentarily stunned and ignoring the "Don't mind" he receives from Daichi, Kei turns his head and glares at Kageyama.

Unapologetic, Kageyama has the audacity to smirk at him. "What's the matter, _Kei_ ?" He asks in that same teasing tone that Kei himself uses so much. "You know you're supposed to aim _above_ the net, right?"

Kei scowls. _Bastard._

-

Tobio only figures it out because Hinata points it out to him, which pisses him off beyond belief.

The fact that _Hinata_ , resident idiot, realized Tobio was pining hard for Tsukishima before _he_ did—It just proves that he's as dense as a brick.

"You sure look at Tsukishima a lot," he points out one day during practice, and Tobio instantly snaps his head towards him, the ball he'd been tossing above him smacking down against his head.

"No I don't." He replies, defensive. Hinata snorts. "Sheesh, Kageyama, I didn't say there's anything wrong with it."

"What are you implying?"

Hinata's eyes light up as he moves his hands in theatrical gestures. "I'm saying that you have a crush on him!"

This gives Tobio pause.

Because he wants to argue, he _really_ does, but when he thinks about it…

The times his eyes slowly slide over to look at Tsukishima when he jumps for a block or a spike, meeting his eyes just after. The nonchalant way in which he hands over a scarf or jacket when he notices the slight tremor in his shoulders and infers he must be cold. How he effortlessly tosses Tsukishima's jersey over his shoulder in his direction when he hears him open the door, knowing it's him simply because of the pattern of his steps and the fact that he's one of the only people who doesn't slam the door open energetically or announce himself.

God, he's even started calling him _Kei_. He's surprised people don't think they're dating.

(Well, at one point Yachi actually _did_ ask if they were together, but a flustered Tobio had fervently denied it and claimed he " _wasn't even friends with that guy_ ".)

And, in a way, that's true. They do nothing but snipe at each other during practices, trading insults and glares each chance they get. In fact, one might say they do all of these things _obsessively_ —

Okay, he can see where they're coming from.

He thinks back to the study group night, when everyone else had returned home and he'd gotten a text from his mother informing him she wasn't going to be home until tomorrow.

He'd mentioned it aloud before saying goodbye, but his aversion to being home alone must've showed on his face. Tsukishima stopped him at the door.

"You can stay the night, if you want." He offered, and Tobio's breath hitched.

And _God_ , for someone who typically isn't expressive, that face looked almost hopeful.

The silent " _please_ " was added on by a small glance Tsukishima gave him, and Tobio found himself saying "Sure" before he could even consider the fact that he did not have a change of clothes.

So he stayed, depositing his uniform in his bag and (embarrassingly) borrowing a shirt from Tsukishima.

Tobio had stared in the bathroom mirror, face lobster red as he observed how the shirt hung off him, making it about halfway down his thighs.

Because of course Tsukishima is a fucking giant, and even just his _t-shirt_ was too big for Tobio. What the hell.

Tobio wasn't even drastically shorter than him like Hinata or Nishinoya. This was ridiculous.

He hated how flustered he was getting just at the sight of himself wearing Tsukishima's shirt. It was _stupid_.

He decided to sleep in his volleyball shorts, one because he might've actually combusted if he just wore his boxers while Tsukishima was there, but also because if he was already swimming in his t-shirt, Tobio didn't want to think about borrowing any other clothes.

Tsukishima set up a futon with a blanket, and was tucking in the corners when Tobio emerged.

"Why are you making it if we're about to sleep?" He asked, tone riddled with confusion.

The blond turned, probably expecting judgement, but only finding continued befuddlement. He sighed. "It looks better like this. Organized, I mean."

"Isn't that the blanket from your bed?" Tobio frowned harder. "You're gonna be cold."

"Not as cold as you, my king." Tsukishima replied, a smirk on his face.

Tobio felt heat racing to his cheeks, hoping he could blame the redness on the cold. _Cheeky bastard._

"I'm _yours,_ am I?" He said smoothly. (This is, in fact, a blatant lie. Tobio refuses to recall his shame in this situation, having blocked it from his memory. In reality, his face was the color of Tendou Satori's hair and his voice squeaked on "yours".)

A slight twitch in Tsukishima's brow alerted him that he'd definitely struck a nerve—He was just unsure as to whether it was a good one.

"Get some beauty rest, your majesty," He said, composure supposedly regained as he pushed himself up and walked back over to his bed. "You need it."

Even the low lighting couldn't hide the pink flushing across Tsukishima's pale face, and Tobio bit the inside of his cheek as he crawled under the covers.

Tsukishima turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. The muffled sound of owls outside were distinct against the hollow silence of the room.

He heard the blond yawn, and he clearly underestimated how tired he was.

"G'night, Kei." He spoke up quietly, voice already tinged with sleepiness. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was falling asleep.

Though, before his eyes fully shut, he swore he heard a soft, exhausted reply.

"Good night, Tobio."

_And here he is._

He glances over at Tsukishima across the gym, getting ready to leave with Tobio's scarf wrapped around his neck.

Hinata points out how red his face is, and Tobio realizes he is well and truly _fucked._

-

He notices that Tsukishima no longer looks shocked when he calls him Kei.

"Am _I_ allowed to call you Kei?" Sugawara asks hopefully, having been practicing hitting Nishinoya's tosses by the libero's request.

Tsukishima wrinkles his nose as if disturbed just by the sound of his name leaving Sugawara's mouth. "No, I'd prefer if you didn't."

Sugawara smirks, looking over at Daichi. Their captain sighs heavily, shaking his head. Hinata groans loudly behind him.

"You two are something else," He says tiredly.

Tobio frowns. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The silver haired setter smiles wider. "You'll learn when you're older!"

His face heats up all over again. Just how obvious is he?

-

Tadashi gets impossibly smug when he and Sugawara win the bet.

"He doesn't even let _me_ call him Kei. I told you it's just Kageyama." He says giddily, high-fiving Suga.

Daichi grimaces and forks over 2000 yen. "In my defense, it took me a month to realize Oikawa and Iwaizumi were dating."

" _Months_." Suga corrects, grinning.

"You can definitely look at people like that and still be just friends!" Daichi protests, causing Tadashi to snort.

"Like the way you look at Bokuto and Tetsurou, captain?"

Daichi turns bright red and Sugawara laughs harder, clutching his stomach.

Hinata finally speaks up, fishing for his own wallet. "In _my_ defense, I was bluffing when I said Kageyama liked him."

Sugawara cheerfully hits them both in the backs of their heads, gratefully accepting his share of yen from Daichi. "Who wants to bet on who'll ask out who first?"

Hinata, a master of bad decision making and clearly having not learned his lesson, instantly bets 3000 on Kageyama.

-

Shouyou is a decently tolerant person, which is why he's shocked to find that Kageyama—of all people—is _annoying the shit out of him._

"I didn't ask you to come practice so you could wax poetic about Tsukishima the whole time." He groans finally, bouncing the ball against the dirt.

Kageyama pauses, processing his sentence. "You know what _wax poetic_ means?" He asks, dumbfounded.

Shouyou chucks the ball at him.

"Your huge crush on him is _nauseating!_ You’re not even aiming." Shouyou says, displaying other impressive words he just learned on the vocabulary test he took yesterday.

He sighs as his complaints fall on deaf ears, watching as Kageyama simply nods and throws the ball back, missing Shouyou by about half a foot. The ball flies over his head and hits the tree behind him, hitting the ground with a quiet _"thud"._

The ginger snorts, settling for stopping practice for today since he clearly wasn't paying attention. He unties his jacket from around his waist and shrugs it back on. "You've got it _bad._ "

-

"Is it too late to rethink my bet?" Hinata prompts while they're sitting in the clubroom, huddled over a copy of _Volleyball Monthly._

Koushi smirks, pleased with himself. "Lost faith in Kageyama, did you?"

"He's being so _stupid._ " His junior laments, knees tucked under his chin. "If I'd known one dumb crush would've made him go all _blegh,_ I wouldn't have said anything!" Hinata punctuates his sentence with energetic hand movements, huffing and sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

Yamaguchi laughs quietly, a guilty smile on his face as if he feels bad about what comes out of his mouth next. "To be fair, Tsukki's just as dense. I'll be surprised if they figure it out this century."

"Or the next, either." Koushi nods in solemn agreement, punching Daichi's shoulder playfully upon his entry. The other third year lets out a small " _oof_ " at the contact.

“Good morning to you too, Suga,” Daichi grunts, rubbing his arm.

“I didn’t even hit you that hard, you big baby.” Koushi teases, hitting him with an even harder, open-handed blow to his back. Daichi coughs loudly and catches himself before he can fall forward.

-

“Ah, it feels so nice!” Hinata smiles, spreading his arms and running around like a child playing in sprinklers. “Look, Kenma, we’re not freezing to death anymore!” The nice spring air is a welcome change compared to the freezing-your-ass-off cold they’ve just escaped.

Kenma sighs, walking faster to catch up with him. “Now I don’t have an excuse to stay inside all day.” He complains quietly, mourning the weeks of video game time the weather had given him.

“Well now we can have more practice matches, right?” The younger boy practically vibrates, eyes glinting with excitement. "I mean it's nearly the end of the school year already! I'm gonna be a second year soon, and you're gonna be a _third year!_ Isn't that cool?"

“I’m _tired_.” Kenma groans “It’s eight a.m. on Saturday, I shouldn’t even be existing right now. Why did you want me to come here, Shouyou?”

The ginger somehow climbs at least ten levels in terms of energy, and Kenma envies him. Clearly he’s been getting more sleep than he has.

“You know how I helped you accept your huge crush on Kuroo?” He asks. It’s said so casually that Kenma turns beet red.

“You can’t just _say_ that.” He protests, embarrassed. Hinata grins and keeps talking. “Well, now I wanna ask for your help on something similar!”

Kenma furrows his brows. “Is this about—”  
  
“No! No.” Hinata interrupts quickly, flushing even faster than Kenma himself did and waving his hands in protest. “It’s about Kageyama and Tsukishima this time! _Not_ me.”

“Oh.” He shakes his head, bleached strands of hair hitting his face. “I thought they were already together, though.”

Hinata groans loudly. “I _wish._ It’s torture just watching them! If I have to sit through one more year of longing looks and sad sighing, I’m gonna die. I’ll perish, Kenma.”

Kenma thinks he’s being just a little dramatic, but he really can’t talk. Hinata already had to listen to _him_ talking about Kuroo for god knows how long, and he can’t imagine how annoying that got before he convinced him to just go for it.

“I’m disintegrating just thinking about it! Do you want me to turn to dust, Kenma?” Hinata cries out, definitely playing up the dramatics.

“What do you expect _me_ to do about it?” Kenma frowns. “I barely know either of them.”

“You’re here for emotional support and advice!” Hinata replies, bubbly nature returning as he bounces ahead.

Kenma would like to know what the hell makes Hinata think he’d be helpful in either of those departments, but he keeps his mouth closed and walks faster. His legs scream in protest after 24 entire hours of not moving from his beanbag, eyes struggling to adjust to the sunlight due to how long he sat in the dark staring at a screen.

“How’d you tell Kuroo you liked him?” Hinata pipes up when they’ve been walking for a few minutes. Kenma’s eyes widen.

“Uh..” He pauses to sneeze into the crook of his elbow, briefly considering texting Kuroo to tell him to quit talking about him while he's not there. “Can’t you ask someone else about this?”

“Kenma, come on, it’s for the greater good!” Hinata insists, and Kenma makes an attempt to turtle into the collar of his jacket.

He considers just _not answering_ , but at the same time he knows Hinata will just complain about his friends forever if he doesn’t give him a vaguely helpful answer.

He sniffs. “It wasn’t much, I guess. I just did what you suggested and told him how I felt, and he said he felt the same way. It just sort of happened. It’s different for everyone, though.”

Hinata ponders this, eyes narrowing. “What do you do about emotionally constipated idiots?”

Kenma allows the corner of his mouth to tip up in a tiny smile. “You wait and let them figure it out.”

“We’re doomed then,” mutters Hinata, kicking a weed at the edge of the sidewalk. Kenma lets out a slight laugh, which sounds more like a cross between a sneeze and a stifled snort.

He tugs his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and opening a game. “So, _now_ did you want to talk about Atsumu?” He asks, pushing the topic of conversation back towards something more familiar.

Hinata brightens instantly at the mention of Inarizaki's setter as he excitedly babbles about what it would be like to hit one of Miya’s tosses, a soft pink dusting his cheeks.

-

Kei thinks, ultimately, that this was a terrible idea. He shouldn't have gotten out of bed today.

"Hinata's sick," Kageyama explains, looking rather grumpy as if it's Hinata's fault for catching a cold. "So I need _someone_ to set to for practice.

"You could just set to Tanaka." Kei suggests. "And I could go home."

Kageyama shakes his head. "No, Tanaka and Nishinoya already said they're helping out Sugawara." He points a thumb over his shoulder at the trio on the other side of the gym. Sugawara happily rubs Tanaka's head while the other boy complains and Nishinoya cackles.

Kei groans internally, cursing whatever higher powers there may be for him getting stuck here, in this situation, with no Yamaguchi to help drag him out of it.

Namely, because the traitor headed home without him once he was stopped by the setter.

"Fine." He huffs. "But don't expect me to jump higher for you, king."

Kageyama's face turns sour, but he doesn't argue. (Save for a few seconds of irritated mumbling.)

This is how Kei finds himself jumping to hit the ball over the net, approximately twenty minutes after afternoon practice has already ended, and he hates every second of it.

"Just one more," Kageyama insists, Kei stumbles on sore legs.

"Hell no." He retorts. "You and Hinata are the freaks with limitless energy, not me. I'm going home."

Kageyama, frowning deeply, stands his ground. "We still have to clean up and close the gym."

"I agreed to help you practice, not clean for you like a lowly servant." Kei glares over his shoulder, his legs feeling wobbly after jumping so much.

"It's common decency." Kageyama replies, blocking the door.

Kei snorts. "I'm impressed that you know what common decency is, my king."

"'Course I know," Kageyama retorts defensively. "It's everyday courtesy, respect, and politeness that is expected and assumed by social convention." He says matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and collecting a few balls from the other side of the net.

"Went over that definition in class today, did you?" Kei asks sarcastically, making his way over to pick up a few more and drop them unceremoniously into the cart.

Kageyama freezes, and Kei raises a brow.

"..No," He says it so quietly and defensively that Kei can't help but snicker.

"And here I thought you had a brain for a moment," Kei sighs, poorly feigning an expression of betrayal. "How disappointing that you were merely trying to impress me."

"I don't care what you think." Kageyama glares at him, tossing a ball into the cart with an infuriating amount of accuracy despite that he'd clearly put in little to no effort to do so.

"Of course not, my king." Kei mutters, rolling the cart into the closet and hearing it hit the back shelf with a _thud._

Kei shrugs his bag over his shoulder, kicking the closet shut behind him. "Coming?" He asks, standing in the doorway with a hand resting against it.

Kageyama nods, walking up behind him and flicking off the lights. The gym plunges into darkness, the only light remaining being the sunset streaming in through the windows.

"One of our last practices before the year is over," Kageyama says in a clear attempt to make small talk.

"I was under the impression I'd get to walk home in silence, seeing as you just spent all that time torturing me." Kei snarks, shoe crushing a weed that comes up from a crack in the sidewalk.

Kageyama frowns up at him, kicking a dandelion. "I was just pointing it out. Clearly you're too pissy to listen to anything I say, Tiredshima."

Kei grimaces in disgust. "You've been hanging out with Hinata too much."

To his surprise, Kageyama huffs out a soft laugh. "Today must've been a pleasant change then."

" _Torturous,_ you mean." Kei corrects, movements still stiff. "I'm going to sit down for exams and not be able to stand back up, and it's all your fault."

"I could come in and help you up if it's that important to you," Kageyama offers.

"Afraid they don't let idiots enter my classroom." Kei says with an air of faux sympathy. Kageyama bumps his shoulder against him.

They walk in silence for a brief moment, the wind occasionally picking up and blowing the grass. The light from the sun shifts as several blades duck under and over each other, casting shadow at random.

Kei allows himself a few seconds to admire the orange and pink streaking across the sky.

"I'll miss Sugawara-san." Kageyama admits, resolutely staring at his feet while he walks.

_"I'll miss you,"_ Kei thinks, but he knows it's a stupid thing to say. He and Kageyama are in the same year, and he will not easily be able to escape him no matter how hard he tries.

"Mm-hm." He decides on saying, stopping at the corner of the road where they part ways.

Kageyama breathes out as if he's been holding it. "You better start trying harder next year, Kei."

Maybe it's the way he says it, or maybe it's the look in his eyes when he makes direct eye contact with him, but Kei finds himself unable to reply for a few seconds. Briefly, he wonders if he's talking about volleyball, or something else.

Another part of his brain realizes that _no one is here._ No one but them. No one else is around to watch Kei get embarrassed at the use of his first name or laugh at him. Kageyama doesn't _need_ to call him that, yet he does anyway. It's a rambly, virtually useless anecdote that he thinks up, and he quickly shoves it to the furthest corner of his mind.

"Okay." He replies a beat late, trying not to think too much about it.

Kageyama nods, apparently satisfied as he turns and heads down the street, leaving him dumbfounded at the crosswalk.

-

"You're just mad I got a higher grade on my english final than you." Hinata teases, causing Koushi to nearly spit his water while Kageyama turns bright red.

"Surpassing Kageyama in grades? Who even _are_ you?" He asks, playfulness entering his tone as he high-fives the soon-to-be second year.

Hinata snickers. "I mean, I'm better than him at English, so— _Ow,_ hey!" He squawks when Kageyama hits the back of his head, glaring at the darker haired male.

Koushi shakes his head. "Don't give Ennoshita too much trouble, I can already tell you're going to be even _more_ chaotic as the years go by." He fakes a dramatic sniffle and wipes an invisible tear, though he doesn't need to fake being a little bit emotional. "I'm proud of you."

Hinata beams. Kageyama, less emotionally capable, nods. "We won't disappoint you, Sugawara-senpai."

Koushi turns slightly pink. "You don't need to tack on the honorific, Kageyama! Plus, you're just making me feel old."

Kageyama nods, shoveling more food into his mouth with the grace of a toddler.

He moves to face Hinata again. "So he and Tsukishima still aren't together, hm?"

Kageyama chokes on his food and Hinata groans, pretending not to have heard him.

"No, and it's _torture._ They're gonna murder me before I graduate, Suga-san! _Murder!_ " He raises his volume for theatrics, ending up being shushed by a passing waitress.

The setter turns an ugly shade of red. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here, idiot."

Koushi frowns. "Man, I was hoping they'd have it figured out by now." He talks over Kageyama, who struggles between his annoyance at being ignored and how flustered he is as the conversation continues.

" _Right?_ " Hinata smiles, moving his hands in a wide gesture. One of them nails Kageyama right in the nose. "Like, they're so _clearly_ in love that even Yachi can see it! I kinda wish they'd just kiss already and get it over with—"

Kageyama lets out a strangled yelp and obscures his red face from their view with his arm, so Koushi and Hinata relent and settle for laughing at him.

"Sorry, Kageyama, but you do need to admit it at some point." Koushi says good-naturedly, thoughtfully placing a piece of pork in his mouth and chewing as Hinata continues for him. "Really, _Bakageyama,_ it's so obvious that even Shimizu placed a bet with us last month!"

Shimizu had won, clearly, but that isn't important. Koushi's wallet still hurts.

Kageyama frowns, stirring his spoon around mindlessly in his soup bowl. "I'm not good with that sort of stuff, nor is there anything to admit." He glares at Koushi as if daring him to argue.

The older boy sighs in defeat. "Okay, but we're here for you if you do ever want to talk about it."

"About _what?_ " Kageyama frowns deeply, putting some shrimp and wontons in his mouth to avoid talking.

Koushi and Hinata share a knowing look and shake their heads before switching the topic.

"You better get to nationals again this year." Koushi jabs his chopsticks in Hinata's direction. "Asahi, Daichi, Shimizu and I are gonna make sure we're the loudest cheering you on."

Hinata grins widely, and this even coaxes the trademark evil smirk out of Kageyama.

Koushi sighs. "Man, you two are gonna be _nightmares_ in your third year. I feel bad for all the first and second years that'll get stuck warming the bench."

"Everyone's gonna be calling Tanaka and Nishinoya _senpai,_ " Hinata points out with a mouthful of soba. "They'll have the time of their lives this year."

He snickers, taking a sip from his water.

"Make sure you live up to your claim of becoming the ace, okay?" He stirs his straw around in his glass.

Hinata nods excitedly, eyes sparkling with determination. "I won't let you down, Suga-san!"

Koushi shakes his head fondly. "I don't think you could if you tried, unless you're _also_ hopelessly in love and refusing to do anything about it."

His junior flushes pink and his eyes dart down to fixate on the table, which he suddenly takes interest in. "Uh… No comment."

Kageyama snorts and spits out a spray of soup while Koushi openly laughs out loud.

-

"Hinata-senpai!"

Shouyou will definitely _never_ get used to that.

He turns around as one of the new first years runs up to him, awkward and clumsy as he skids to a stop before he can collide with him.

Shouyou finds himself frowning briefly, because all of the first years are taller than him. Suzuki, in particular, is 165 cm—Just _barely_ taller. It's unfair, and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had laughed at him for _hours._

He supposes that given Suzuki's height, it's fair that he plays libero, but he'd also mistaken _Shouyou_ for being a libero before he considered Nishinoya, which was just plain upsetting.

He can't really blame him, though.

Suzuki fumbles over his words and Shouyou quickly tunes back in.

"—and I know it's really none of my business, but I guess I was sort of curious? So I was wondering if I could ask you something—"

" _Breathe._ " Shouyou reminds him. Suzuki pauses to draw in a deep breath, and he laughs slightly at his junior.

_His junior._ Second year was really hitting him hard, huh?

Suzuki swallows and he listens attentively. "Uh.. are.. are Tsukishima-san and Kageyama-san.. together?"

Shouyou chokes on his own spit.

-

Tobio's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as Tsukishima jumps for the block, completely shutting out the other team’s spike. He watches as the ball falls to the floor and makes contact mere seconds before the libero can get to it.

The whistle blows and his teammates erupt in cheers.

A quick glance to his right would alert him that the former third years have jumped up from their seats and are cheering louder than the entire Karasuno section, but he isn’t looking at them.  
  
All his attention is on Tsukishima. Tsukishima, who looks _stupid_ calm for someone whose point from that block just won them the game in straight sets. Yamaguchi runs up and bounces excitedly on his toes, and Hinata is practically vibrating off to Tobio’s left.

Hinata. Tobio’s memory flicks backwards.

_"I'm saying that you have a crush on him!"_

The blond turns, and Tobio’s eyes trail upwards until they lock eyes. Tsukishima is already staring right at him.

Tobio’s heart stutters in his chest, and there’s an odd feeling that starts up in his stomach. At first he thinks he’s feeling sick from overexertion, but then the corners of Tsukishima’s mouth quirk up ever so slightly, and—

_Oh, shit._

And though Tobio’s brain struggles to register it for a few more seconds, Hinata has a point.

-

Kenma, upon being asked by his boyfriend if he could introduce him to his two other boyfriends, really did not have as much of a problem with it as expected.

If anything, he was just offended at being the youngest _and_ the shortest in the group.

“If you’d told me earlier that there’d be _two_ of you messing up my hair,” He starts when Bokuto aggressively ruffles his hair again, for the fifth time, “I’d have broken up with you on the spot.”

Kuroo smiles apologetically, which is an obvious sign that he is not in the least bit sorry. “Grumpy, Kyanma?” His teasing smirk makes Kenma force down the urge to smack it right off his face.  
  
“I can still kick your ass in _Mario Party_.” He retorts huffily, and Sawamura’s laugh sounds from beside Kuroo.

“You two remind me a bit of another duo I know.” He comments, and Kuroo raises a brow while Kenma nods knowingly. “Kuroo is whichever one of them is more annoying.”

Sawamura turns pensive. “That’s a tough decision.” Kenma lets out a noise between a snort and a sneeze.

Bokuto catches the brain cell before Kuroo, which isn’t terribly surprising. “Oh, the glasses kid and that genius setter?” He tilts his head and blinks owlishly, leading Kenma to observe his hair again and daydream idly about birds.

Sawamura nods. “Yeah, except it’ll be a cold day in hell before those two get together. Sugawara keeps tricking Hinata into placing bets.” He shakes his head. “We’ll be lowering Kenma into his grave and they’ll _still_ be bickering.”

Kuroo _hmm_ ’s decisively. “That could be tomorrow, though. He passed out yesterday during class and fell out of his chair. Nearly got a concussion.”

Kenma glares. “ _You_ try sitting through the beginning of the year speech on one hour of sleep.”

“And whose fault is that?” Kuroo grins at him again, and Kenma turns his attention back to the phone in his hands, not bothering to swat away Bokuto’s hand when it makes its way into his hair again.

“At least stick around for nationals in your last year, Kenma!” Bokuto says encouragingly, Kenma choosing to ignore Kuroo’s cough that sounds suspiciously like _“fat chance”._ “This is the _golden year!_ Full of opportunity and inspiration!”

“I already feel inspired,” Kenma says blandly, poking at his screen with his thumb and watching a cartoon bird explode into colorful feathers.

“Beat Karasuno at least once, yeah?” Bokuto pats his back, and at this Kenma’s eyes gleam. “No offense, Daichi.”  
  
Sawamura shakes his head, bemused. “I think that’s the most you’ve gotten through to him all day.”

Kenma, deep in thought, barely registers Kuroo’s loud, distinct laugh bouncing off the walls.

-

Some people, Tadashi thinks, just need a push in the right direction. In this case, the _“push”_ is more of a _“shove”,_ mostly due to his own impatience, but it does the job all the same.

“You act like caring about someone as more than a friend is going to kill you.” He sighs. “It’s not as bad as you think it is, Tsukki.”

“Shut up.” Tsukishima replies in the second after he’s done talking, and Tadashi wants to hit his head against the wall.

Another part of him wants to hit _Tsukishima’s_ head against the wall to quite literally smack sense into his skull, but that is both morally wrong and probably illegal, so he doesn’t.

“You keep telling me to be honest, so I am.” He insists, and Tsukishima looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here, talking about this. Tadashi isn’t going to let him off so easily. “Running away from your problems _never_ works, and you need to grow up and accept that you can’t just avoid any and all emotion like the plague anymore.”

Tsukishima glares at him, but he’s not telling him to drop it, so Tadashi sees it as safe to continue. "Just _try,_ Tsukki, what's the worst that can happen?"

Tsukishima's eyes narrow further, and Tadashi accepts that this is the day he dies. He runs through his list of farewells, drafting out an admittedly rushed apology to his mother when Tsukishima finally speaks up.

"It'll just make things awkward, and that awkwardness will then, inevitably, spread to the rest of the team. I doubt his majesty would appreciate a drop in necessary communication and overall performance because _someone_ thought it necessary I have a talk with him about feelings."

Tadashi frowns, staring at his feet as he walks. Tsukishima, if not rational, is impressively stubborn. He's the reason Tadashi himself refuses to give up very easily, because he thought Tsukishima was so damn cool and wanted to be more like him.

Now though, he's just being _stupid._

Tadashi sighs heavily, knowing he'll have to be blunt if he wants a chance of getting through to him. "If you want my advice," he begins, ignoring Tsukishima's protest of _"I don't"_ with ease, "You need to get your shit together and quit being a brat."

Tsukishima stops walking as if he's hit an invisible barrier, and Tadashi looks over his shoulder towards him.

The blond stands there, glaring a hole into the cement. Tadashi is more than a little concerned. "..Tsukki?"

Then, he breathes out a sort of resigned exhale through his mouth. "I don't know when you got so cool, but it's annoying."

Tadashi's laugh blurts out of him so suddenly that he can't help but be a little startled by it. Tsukishima smirks and strides past him, leaving him to gape and rush to catch up.

-

A brief interlude, where a group of ecstatic first years join the betting pool and get some well deserved recognition.

"Suzuki thought they were already dating," Hinata comments, and Hiroto (or _Suzuki,_ since he's typically referred to by his family name) flushes red from the tips of his ears to halfway down his neck. Nishinoya chokes on his soda and instantly complains when he feels the fizziness travel up his nose.

Yoshida Nagomi, a wing spiker who has done nothing but make fun of him this entire conversation, jabs him in the ribs. "I think he's secretly hoping they get together, y'know?" Hiroto smacks his arm indignantly.

Tanaka snorts aggressively. "Yeah, him and everyone here."

Ennoshita shakes his head. "Don't drag the first years into this, it's bad enough all of you meddle with their relationship."

"You still owe me 4000 yen from the last bet, Captain!" Hinata shouts over his shoulder, and Ennoshita is quick to excuse himself outside to _"take a call"._

Murakami Itsuki, Hiroto's best friend and a middle blocker who typically gets stuck on the bench, leans forward on his elbows. "I really thought they were dating too, since Tsukishima-senpai stayed behind with him after practice was over." He blows out a puff of air, sending the blond hair resting on his forehead in several directions—as if it wasn't messy enough already. "Like, when _I_ asked for help he just stared at me until I walked away. He's sorta scary."

Yamaguchi laughs gently. "Sounds like Tsukki, yeah."

"You could always ask me for help!" Hinata assures, and Murakami gives him a judgemental look that leaves Nishinoya and Tanaka snickering.

"Grow a foot, then maybe I will." He says blandly, much to Hinata's chagrin. Hiroto sighs.

"Quit picking fights with our teammates, 'Kami. You'll get stuck warming the bench all year like in middle school." He complains, arms crossed as Murakami squawks in offense. "At least you get to be on the court, Hiro-chan, you jerk!"

Hiroto feels the sudden urge to flip him off, and so he obliges. He smirks at the scandalized gasp he receives from Murakami.

Tanaka thumbs through his wallet. "One, two.." He grins triumphantly, slamming 4000 yen on the floor in the middle of their impromptu circle. "I bet 4000 that they're already in a relationship and just messing with us!"

Yamaguchi hacks a cough to cover a laugh. " _Really?_ I mean, if you want to pay me that bad I won't complain."

"What? It's totally possible!" Yoshida jumps to Tanaka's defense, scrambling to pull out his own wallet from his bag propped up against the adjacent wall.

"Don't do it," Hinata leans over and lowers his voice so only the group of first years can hear. "Tanaka has lost every bet he's participated in." Yoshida freezes mid-search and slowly pulls his hand back out of his bag.

"Uh…" He wrings his hands together, then shyly reaches into his pocket, retracting his hand to display his bet to the group.

"I bet 3000 that we can get them together before they graduate." He says, trying desperately to keep his voice from shaking in front of his seniors.

For a second, he thinks making such a bold claim was a mistake, but the two third years in the small group perk up.

"You're _on._ " Nishinoya enthusiastically holds out his hand for him to shake, and he does so with minimal full-body quivering in shock from the amount of _energy_ he has.

"We can split into two teams, and whichever team gets them together first has to pay all members of the other team 3000 yen." Hinata suggests, and Yoshida vibrates in excitement. Momentarily, Hiroto is concerned he may explode.

In the end, the teams are split equally: Hinata, Hiroto, and Murakami against Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Yoshido (Yamaguchi, as the odd one out, plays referee).

"Well then." Yamaguchi says, standing up and making sure all of them shake hands. "Let the games begin."

-

Keishin, well aware of the ongoing bets as a result of unresolved tension in his team, realized exactly what was going on when he watched Tsukishima jump higher than average just to hit all of Kageyama's tosses that went to him in their pre-nationals practice match.

The other team had seen it too, if Bokuto's shocked expression had any say in the matter.

They're working so much more in sync in comparison to their first year, and he probably should have seen it sooner. In hindsight, there were far too many signs that he'd just overlooked in favor of assuming they'd chosen to get over their petty feud.

Sometimes it's more of a hindrance, he thinks, as he subs in Murakami in place of Tsukishima, who misses his second spike in a row that should have been easy to hit. The first year, though absolutely _delighted_ to be on the court at nationals, bows his head guiltily when Tsukishima takes the paddle from him.

"Take this time to get back on your game." Keishin advises, and the blond nods mutely before moving to join his teammates outside the court.

"Don't mind, Tsukki." He hears Yamaguchi pipe up quietly. The usual "shut up" is noticeably absent.

Keishin sighs, willing himself to keep his patience.

They're kids, and it's not fair to get mad at them for things they can't control, but he can damn well hope they resolve it soon before they start slipping.

Itachiyama gets set point first, and he chews his thumbnail anxiously.

He doesn't miss Kageyama chancing a look behind him towards Tsukishima before he quickly turns to face the net again.

-

Daichi pats Sugawara and Shimizu on the back as they make their way down the hall, both of which have happy tears welling in their eyes from the euphoria high that came with Karasuno winning their first nationals match.

Itachiyama had taken the first set, but Karasuno played well and took back the second set when Tsukishima was subbed back in, and the third set soon after.

"You're crying too you know, Daichi." Sugawara laughs airily, mouth fixed in a seemingly permanent elated smile. Shimizu ducks her head, dark hair falling forwards to cover her face as her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.

He frowns, wiping his own eyes and blinking down at his hand, which comes back wet with tears.

Then, he shrugs. "I didn't cry nearly as much as Asahi," he remarks, looking over to see where his friend is still struggling to wipe his tears off on his shirt. More quickly rush to replace them every time he tries to hide the evidence, and Sugawara's laugh echoes down the hall despite the several people still milling about.

Several simultaneous calls of each of their names have their heads snapping up, and Daichi can't stop the smile that spreads across his face.

Hinata, bouncy as ever, completely plows Sugawara over with a hug. Nishinoya rushes over to shout happily at Asahi, who sniffles loudly and wipes his nose on his sleeve.

His eyes trail over to Tsukishima and Kageyama, off in their own little world having a quiet discussion in the corner. Kageyama laughs loud, and Daichi sighs contentedly.

His final look goes to the first years huddled around each other, since Tanaka has apparently gotten a _lot_ sneakier and ran off somewhere with Shimizu while he wasn't looking.

"—And did you _see_ Hiro-chan receive that Sakusa guy's spike? That was insane! I thought it would rip your arms off for sure—" "That's not even physically possible given the weight of the average volleyball and the speed it was going, 'Kami—" "—You're not talking about how many points _I_ scored! C'mon Murakami, praise me for once too!"

He chuckles to himself, reminded a lot of his own first year at Karasuno. His, Sugawara's, and Asahi's determination and energy definitely rivalled that of their seniors, and it's abundantly clear these first years will be no different.

They'll be just fine, but Tsukishima and Kageyama…

Daichi turns his head back to the two, and catches something fascinating just before it's gone.

A _smile._ Not a smirk or a fake cheery expression, but an honest to god smile on Tsukishima's face for a solid second before it slips away, and he's looking right at the setter with the only trace of that smile remaining in the gentle crease at the corners of his eyes.

And _maybe,_ he thinks, _just maybe, they'll be okay too._

-

Tadashi doesn't know what he expected to happen at the end of his second year in highschool, but it certainly wasn't _this._

His eyes sting, and Ennoshita's smile doesn't waver. Something is pushed into his hands.

He hadn't known why Ennoshita had asked the former third years to come today. He hadn't known why he kept getting knowing looks from his teammates, or what had gone through his head when he was asked to stand—

His train of thought skids to a halt and his mind is blank again, unable to fathom.

Ennoshita grins, a bit emotional himself. "Lead them to victory, Captain."

He stares at him, wide-eyed, then his head snaps down and his eyes instantly lock onto the jersey in his hands, a large _"1"_ emblazoned on the front.

Then, Tadashi really does start crying.

Because _holy shit,_ he did it.

-

The number _"3"_ jersey still feels odd for him to wear, and Yamaguchi's assurance that it suits him does not help one bit.

"You haven't even put yours on. You don't get to talk." Kei scoffs, because Yamaguchi, the absolute hypocrite, has been staring at his jersey like it's some sort of holy relic and has not worn it once since receiving it.

Honestly, though he wouldn't admit it at gunpoint, he's fairly sure Hinata would've worn this number better than him. He never asked to be put on the spot like this, damn it.

Kageyama, not being nearly as subtle as he thinks he is, ogles the number _"2"_ on the fabric in his hands with an expression of very poorly suppressed wonder, and Kei has to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

The second years argue in hushed tones over their own new numbers: Yoshida complaining loudly ("I only went up _two,_ dude! _Two!_ Ten to eight is nothing!"), Suzuki blinking constantly as if trying to get his eyes to focus ("How did I go from _eleven_ to _six,_ I don't—"), and Murakami laughing with occasional snorts in between ("Twelve to four, Hiro-chan! I win!").

Hinata proudly wears his number _"5"_ jersey, and Kei realizes that the ginger is, at the moment, the only other sane person in this room, which is profoundly sad.

"Yeesh, and I thought girls could take forever to get ready.." Yachi murmurs from outside the door, then knocks. "Hey, you don't need to look your best for a practice match, you just gotta play your best! The first years have been sitting in the gym for ten minutes now!"

True, it was only a practice match, so these weren't even their official uniforms, but donning the numbers their seniors had worn hold an unsettling amount of responsibility. He can tell by the way that Yamaguchi and Kageyama are frowning that they're thinking the same thing.

"You're all too slow," Hinata huffs, throwing open the door and jogging out, much to the mortification of Yachi who stumbles back and covers her eyes just in case any of them aren't done changing.

"You're good, Yachi!" Yamaguchi assures her, and she lets out a full-body sigh of relief. Yoshida snickers somewhere behind him, and Kei hears the now familiar sound of Murakami's hand colliding with the back of his head.

(They should _never_ have let Murakami meet Sugawara. Together, they were a feral duo of enthusiastic, too-hard blows to their teammates that though painful, were oddly encouraging.)

Kageyama finally tugs on his own jersey, pointedly not looking down. His cheeks are flushed with a vague pink and the way his eyes sparkle with wonder is nothing short of endearing. He almost looks like a first year again.

"It suits you, king." Kei finds himself saying before he can restore his brain-to-mouth filter. Kageyama's head snaps up and he looks him in the eye, that determined gaze directed at him with full force.

Then, the corner of his mouth tips up into a strange, lopsided grin. It looks odd, maybe a little constipated from lack of use, but Kei is momentarily stunned all the same.

The fine line he's created between _"healthy admiration"_ and _"crush"_ blurs hopelessly as Kageyama steps out of the clubroom, unaware of the inner turmoil he's caused to slowly spread throughout Kei's mind.

All he can do is stare after him for what must be a bit too long to be considered subtle, because Yamaguchi sighs and pats him on the back.

"Come on, Tsukki," He says quietly, beginning to lead him out of the room. Kei makes no effort to stop him, loud thoughts bouncing around in his head with no clear intention of slowing down so he can process them all.

One at the forefront of his mind, which may be the most or least helpful depending on how he sees it, puts it simply: _You're screwed._

-

"Hours of studying for nothing?" Tsukishima's eyes narrow, and Tobio almost feels guilty.

Almost.

"If it's any consolation, I got twenty points higher than on my last English test." He shrugs.

"That's still failing _._ " The taller boy's eyes narrow impossibly further, and Tobio can feel the disappointing radiating off of him.

He bites the inside of his cheek. "In my defense, I got stuck on vocabulary."

Tsukishima shuts his eyes, a hand rubbing circles on his forehead. "You're incorrigible."

Tobio doesn't know what that means, but Tsukishima doesn't need to know that. "Guess this means I still need some more help, hm Kei?"

He frowns deeply, as if just being in Tobio's presence has made him lose brain cells. "Indeed."

_Truly unfortunate,_ thinks Tobio with wry sarcasm, when he had in fact passed his English test with a seventy seven.

He decides with some sort of glee that Tsukishima doesn't need to know that either.

-

Tobio, at approximately 6:41 p.m., decides that he rather dislikes lying and is not inclined to do it again.

His fork makes a _"clink"_ sound against his plate as he swallows awkwardly.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kageyama." Tsukishima's mother says good-naturedly. "Kei never talks about his friends, so I only ever get to see them when they come over to study."

The highly uncomfortable look on Tsukishima's face only solidifies Tobio's suspicion that his mother had all but forced him into having this dinner while they were meant to be studying. Tobio very much would like to go home.

"I assume you're also in the volleyball club?" She asks, taking a sip from her water glass.

"Uh. Yes." He says, hand paused just above his plate as he freezes up from being addressed.

The woman laughs slightly. "I apologise for asking so many questions, Kei never really tells me these things."

" _Mom._ " Tsukishima hisses under his breath, the tips of his ears reddening.

"I don't mind, Tsukishima-san," Tobio says loudly over him, his own face warm as he stabs a pea with his fork. It stubbornly avoids being impaled by the prong, instead rolling out from under it to the other side of his plate. Tobio stares at it hatefully.

He notices that Tsukishima and his mother don't look too alike, apart from their eye shape and color, and that her hair is a bit darker than his, but he's not about to outright ask Tsukishima if he takes after his dad more because that is one, none of his business, and two, likely insensitive. He's not even sure if Tsukishima's dad is in the picture, and he sure as hell isn't going to ask to find out.

Tsukishima's mother folds her napkin and wipes her mouth. "Well, if you're done, I should let you go to get your work done." She smiles, and that smile reminds Tobio so uncannily of Tsukishima that he suddenly rethinks his previous train of thought. "Sorry for keeping you so long."

"Thank you for having me." Tobio says, manners having been drilled into his head by his own mother. Tsukishima stands and excuses himself so fast that he practically sprints up the stairs, and Tobio flounders briefly before moving to follow him.

Once they're both in Tsukishima's room, the blond shuts the door behind them.

" _God,_ I hated every second of that.” Tsukishima drags a hand down his face, the tips of his ears still burning red with embarrassment. Tobio can’t help but agree as he sits on the floor, rifling through his bag for his homework.

He doesn’t need _much_ help on English—certainly not as much as he’d claimed—but math has been giving him a good amount of trouble, so it’s not as if he only came here to have an excuse to hang out with Tsukishima.

Definitely not that.

If he even _wished_ to voluntarily spend time with Tsukishima—which he doesn’t—he would not resort to such an obvious and blatant lie to do so. Tobio doesn’t even need excuses, because he can just ask. He’s not afraid to ask, either, he just truly does not wish to go over to Tsukishima’s house for any reason other than keeping his grades at an acceptable level.

Obviously.

“Spacing out, your majesty?” The devil himself interrupts his train of thought that is spiraling towards other instances in which he’d been over at Tsukishima’s house, and Tobio quickly shakes his head.

He thinks back to the change of clothes he packed this morning, knowing that he’d suggest to Tsukishima that he needs more help with schoolwork and that he should probably come over to do so. At the same time, he considers that this was a perfectly normal thing to do, since he knows his mother isn’t home and he’d rather not be home alone at night. Anticipating—no, _hoping_ that he’ll end up staying the night is a perfectly average thought to have.

Tsukishima keeps talking as he scribbles down a few sentences in English that Tobio isn’t focusing enough to read. He keeps his eyes trained on his hand. Long, slender fingers with the pencil resting on his middle as he writes. The letters are short and drawn close together in small, neat handwriting.

Tsukishima has stopped talking. Tobio risks looking up.

A pair of light brown eyes meet his, and he suddenly finds it harder to breathe.

They’re sitting far closer than they used to when they were first years. Usually they’d be across from each other, about a foot apart with several notebooks and worksheets acting as barriers between them. Now they sat side by side, their knees touching and notes scattered in front of them. An extra eraser sits by the toe of Tsukishima’s shoe, where Tobio chooses to stare instead of looking him in the eye again.

How long have they been doing this?

Sitting here in Tsukishima’s room most days out of the week under the pretense of studying, but neither of them really pay attention to the schoolwork they’re doing. Most of it, Tobio realizes, has been idle conversation with mentions of school in between.

The silence drapes over them like a weighted blanket; Heavy, suffocating, and too warm, but they’re trapped under it together.

It’s Tobio who wriggles out first. “You know when you blocked out Iwaizumi’s spike in our second year? The one that won us that game?”

Tsukishima raises a brow. “Where did that come from? I didn’t think you’d be the type to get all reminiscent and sappy.”

“Shut up,” Tobio frowns. “Do you remember?”

He rolls his eyes, looking back down at his paper and continuing to write. “Yeah, I do.”

“You looked at me. After the whistle blew, I mean.” He points out, so many words linger on the tip of his tongue that he can’t make himself say.

The taller boy fidgets with his pencil, nodding stiffly. “Your point?”

Tobio lifts his head. “You looked at me, and you smiled.”

Tsukishima doesn’t reply. His intense gaze stays trained on his journal as if he’s reading over what he’s written, but his eyes don’t move.

Aside from their voices, there’s not a single sound in the room. No distraction from this conversation, which Tsukishima clearly wants out of.

“Why?”

He searches for an answer in the blond’s face, but his expression doesn’t change.

“Kei.”

At this, Tsukishima looks up. Tobio can feel his breath on his face, coming out in short, quick puffs. He doesn’t remember being this close a few seconds ago.

Tobio’s determination to get a response melts away when he sees the look on Tsukishima’s face, replaced with an emotion he can’t quite place. If he had to describe it, he’d say it’s like finding something you hadn’t realized you’d lost, and didn’t know you needed.

They both lean in, and the answer is given to him in the form of a small, yet meaningful gesture in the pleasant silence of Tsukishima’s bedroom.

-

Kageyama and Tsukishima arrive at school together that morning, and Tadashi can’t choose between being shocked or amused.

“So..” He prompts as Tsukishima approaches him, Kageyama branching off to head towards the vending machine.

Tsukishima blinks at him, and Tadashi can’t help but feel just a bit smug. “Was I right then?”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” He replies with perfect timing, but his ears betray him as the tips turn pink.

Tadashi grins, chuckling. “Sorry, Tsukki,” he says, though they both know very well that he isn’t in the least bit sorry. “I’m happy for you.”

Tsukishima only nods awkwardly and heads up the steps to the clubroom. It seems regular displays of emotion still don’t come easy to him, but with time Tadashi is sure even that will improve.

He sighs, content, although he knows he’ll now have to come up with some sort of tie breaker.

They’d never decided what to do in the event that Tsukishima and Kageyama came together on their own.

Though, maybe he doesn’t have to tell them just yet. He’ll let the emotionally stunted idiots themselves break the news whenever they’re ready, because it’s really not his place.

_Seeing them happy is good enough,_ he decides, turning and heading back into the gym to wait for them to get changed and come down. Practice is starting, along with a new development they’ve all waited literal years for, and he isn't going to miss a single second.


End file.
